Joel Quenneville tapped into his stable of hockey friends and hired Kevin Dineen as an assistant coach for the Blackhawks on Monday. Dineen, who coached the Canadian women's national team to the gold medal at the Sochi Olympics, was a teammate of Quenneville’s with the Hartford Whalers from 1984 to 1990. “Kevin brings proven leadership qualities, having served as an alternate captain and captain for several of his teams during his 19-year NHL career,” Hawks general manager Stan Bowman said in a statement. “He will bring another well-respected voice to our coaching staff and we look forward to his contributions to our team.”

Dineen, 50, was head coach of the Panthers from 2011-13. He played 19 seasons in the NHL, from 1984-2003, and played for Canada in the 1984 Winter Olympics. Quenneville and Dineen developed a close friendship during their time with the Whalers. Dineen replaces Jamie Kompon, who recently left the Hawks to become general manager and head coach of the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL.Full Article